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Part A

Hospital

Medicare Part A is your hospital health plan. It helps pays for hospital visits and other hospital-related care. You're automatically added into Part A — at no charge — when you start Original Medicare.

Watch this video to learn about signing up for Medicare Part A.

Claims

Medicare Part A helps pay for care for up to 90 days per benefit period. Your benefit period starts the day you go into a hospital or skilled nursing facility. It ends when you haven't received in-patient or skilled care for 60 days in a row.

Here's how Part A can help when you need care:

Place

Covered

Hospital

Semi-private rooms

Meals

Certain services

Medicare-Certified Facility

Up to 100 days for eligible services

Hospice

Hospice Care — Costs linked to terminal sickness, plus:

Drugs

Health and support services like grief counseling

Other Medicare Payments — Costs not linked to terminal sickness

You and Social Security

If you're not getting monthly Social Security checks, and aren't a Railroad retiree, you'll need to sign up for Medicare Part A. Remember to talk with Social Security three months before — or after — turning age 65. You can also call three months after your 65th birthday.

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